Comparing Angel Reese's 50% shooting night to 2024 WNBA rookies' first efficient shooting nights

Angel Reese is 10 games into her WNBA career, and her impact on the floor for the Chicago Sky continues to impress spectators. Her most recent game versus the Atlanta Dream on Saturday was particularly impressive, as she dropped 13 points, 13 rebounds, and five steals, albeit in an 89-80 loss.

Beyond her double-double numbers, Reese shot 50.0% or (5-of-10) from the field, her first time to reach the shooting clip in the season so far. While she is a consistent contributor for the Sky, her field-goal marks showed that she struggled to finish most of her shots in the paint.

Despite this, Reese now averages 11.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game as the Sky stands at 4-6 in the Eastern Conference. Additionally, she shoots above 34.0% from the field this season.

Those averages are impressive for the 6-foot-3 forward, but her shooting clip remains a concern.

Here is how Reese’s shooting fares against other 2024 WNBA rookies.

Comparing Angel Reese's shooting efficiency to other rookies

#1. Caitlin Clark

Reese’s collegiate rival, Caitlin Clark, has been leading all rookies in points with 16.8 ppg, along with 5.3 rpg and 6.3 apg. She also holds the ball a lot for the Indiana Fever, orchestrating most of their offense as they go 3-9 in their first 12 games this season.

Clark got her first 50.0% shooting night in her third game versus the New York Liberty, wherein she scored 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting (52.9%). She again reached that shooting mark in the game versus the Washington Mystics on Friday, scoring 30 points on 8-of-15 shooting (53.8%).

Considering Clark’s high usage and three-point frequency (8.7 attempts from three per game), the Fever guard stands superior to Reese in this facet.

#2. Cameron Brink

Cameron Brink debuted in the WNBA, shooting 66.7% for 11 points in her first game. Brink also had games where she shot 100.0%, 55.6%, 58.3%, and 50.0% from the field.

The second-overall pick of the LA Sparks is averaging 8.2 points per game on 44.9% field-goal shooting as she plays the same position as Reese.

#3. Rickea Jackson

Los Angeles Sparks’ Rickea Jackson tallied her first 50.0% shooting night in her second game career game in a 13-point performance versus the Las Vegas Aces. In that game, Jackson missed only one shot to go 5-of-6 from the field (83.3%).

She also went above 50.0% in her third, fourth, fifth and seventh games of the season and now averages 45.7% shooting from the field. Jackson plays 23.2 minutes per game and scores 9.0 ppg.

#4. Aaliyah Edwards

Washington Mystics’ Aaliyah Edwards has also been shooting well since her debut, eclipsing the 50.0% mark in her first game. She did it again in her second, fourth, seventh and 10th games, albeit in losses.

Edwards averages 9.0 ppg on an impressive 48.1% shooting from the field while playing the same position as Angel Reese.